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You can get the bullet connectors ( and lots of other things ) from Lazertoyz in Cleveland Ohio . http://www.lazertoyz.com/35-mm-Connectors_p_213.html . Dan and Diane are SUPER nice people , I usually just call them on the phone to order , and I'll get my order in the mail 2-3 days later ( and I live on the west coast ! ) . Tell them Al in Vancouver , Washington sent you !

I would use Dollar Tree FB again since the goal is to build light , and the DTFB is quite a bit lighter than Elmers .

If you can get the NEKKID SE built and take it along to your friend who flies RC , it would be great if he could trim it for you . Just don't forget your batteries and transmitter ( I've done that ) !

Al

Okay... at the risk of being bipolar and worrying toooooo much about weight, do you think it would be okay to use highlighters to put a few marks of color on the NEKKID SE ???

I want to color the edges of the wings RED and GREEN to help my antique eyes distinguish orientation at a distance. (thats not cool shades, thats to go with my red cane and seeing eye dog).

Al

If you have a "stock" SE around, could you tell me the AUW minus the battery ???

Dan

Originally Posted by Dan_D

Okay... at the risk of being bipolar and worrying toooooo much about weight, do you think it would be okay to use highlighters to put a few marks of color on the NEKKID SE ???

I want to color the edges of the wings RED and GREEN to help my antique eyes distinguish orientation at a distance. (thats not cool shades, thats to go with my red cane and seeing eye dog).

Markers should be OK , but too much of anything WET will warp the DTFB . Might be a good idea to test on some scrap DTFB .

Originally Posted by Dan_D

Al

If you have a "stock" SE around, could you tell me the AUW minus the battery ???

Dan

Mine weighs 290 grams without battery , but I made it with just one elevator servo and a Y pushrod going to the elevators - stole that idea from FlyingW ! With a 1300mah 3s battery it's a nice , slow , floaty flyer .

Al

Dan, I can't help thinking you chose two quite difficult planes to start with.I have never fancied a delta because they don't look like a plane to me, and I would have orientation problems as well as control problems.Your first plane,I have only flown one of those pusher floaters on Phoenix but they also seem a bit difficult to control.I suppose to me a beginner plane is one that will glide free flight.So it doesn't need constant control imputs.But i may be wrong about all this.

Originally Posted by alibongo

Dan, I can't help thinking you chose two quite difficult planes to start with.I have never fancied a delta because they don't look like a plane to me, and I would have orientation problems as well as control problems.Your first plane,I have only flown one of those pusher floaters on Phoenix but they also seem a bit difficult to control.I suppose to me a beginner plane is one that will glide free flight.So it doesn't need constant control imputs.But i may be wrong about all this.

Alibongo , I don't know anything about the Hawk Sky , but the SUPER EASY is meant to be a kind of cheap , easy to make disposable trainer - it's certainly not much to look at . Somebody even said it looks like the head of Phineas ( of Phineas and Ferb ) ! Once it's properly trimmed it is very stable and will fly hands off . I have even flown mine with just throttle and the rudder TRIM button .

Here are a few happy builders :
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...6#post22286363
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...1#post22356382
Praymond's video : http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...4#post22398114
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...2#post22381464
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...6#post22942709

And here is a total beginner who made one . The video shows his very first flight where he over steers quite a bit , and then more flights .

Plane Take Two (1 min 6 sec)

You should make one and see for yourself !

Al

Originally Posted by balsa or carbon

Mine weighs 290 grams without battery , but I made it with just one elevator servo and a Y pushrod going to the elevators - stole that idea from FlyingW ! With a 1300mah 3s battery it's a nice , slow , floaty flyer .

Al

Lawn Dart is 409 grams. OBESE

Originally Posted by alibongo

Dan, I can't help thinking you chose two quite difficult planes to start with.I have never fancied a delta because they don't look like a plane to me, and I would have orientation problems as well as control problems.Your first plane,I have only flown one of those pusher floaters on Phoenix but they also seem a bit difficult to control.I suppose to me a beginner plane is one that will glide free flight.So it doesn't need constant control imputs.But i may be wrong about all this.

Gosh, I had chosen the Hawk Sky pusher-floater because it was supposed to be a "beginners plane". Then again, it was the sales people telling me that ...

I have to admit that the delta looks like a big paper airplane, but if that's what it takes to get me flying I'll do it. Heck, if necessary I'll strap feathers on my rump and crow like a rooster...

Actually, I'm already planning and scheming. If you cross your eyes a little and squint, the SUPER EASY almost looks a little like my favorite airplane of my youth - the XB-70 Valkyrie. One I get the SE flying, I am wondering if a little cutting, a little gluing, and viola... a SUPER EASY VALKYRIE !!!

Ad Astra guys !!!

Dan ,
After you get comfortable flying the SE and the Hawk Sky you could try making one of these - another DTFB plane I designed , and you could probably get it to look like a XB-70 Valkyrie if you extended the nose and put on canards . Flying it is quite a rush since it goes about 80mph !
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1717147

Al

Originally Posted by balsa or carbon

Dan ,
Flying it is quite a rush since it goes about 80mph !
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1717147

Al

Wow, at that speed I should be able to bury it's nose all the way to the prop !!!

Originally Posted by Dan_D

Wow, at that speed I should be able to bury it's nose all the way to the prop !!!

Been there , done that ! That's why most of my plane designs are prop in slot or pusher - to PROTECT that motor/prop !

There are a couple of expressions my flying buddies and I use often , " if you ain't crashing you ain't flying " and " altitude is your friend " .

Watching this video about 1 1/2 years ago made me want to try fast jets . Fast forward to about 5:25 .

HobbyKing - SkyFun ARF Pusher Jet (8 min 19 sec)

Al

Okay, I'm half done with the NEKKID SE. It's a LOT lighter. This time I didn't use three glue sticks to glue the panels together (well, I didn't the first time... but it sure looks like it now), etc. The weight without electronics is 154 grams. The electronics weigh in at 95 grams, so I'm on track for 290 or less (probably a fair amount less).

However, this is not going to be a $1.50 worth of foam. I figure it's gonna cost about $10 in foam...

I remembered that there is a Dollar General in a small town only 9 miles from here... so, I went there first. They didn't have any foam board. So, I had to drive to the other close by one... only 20 miles from my home... in the other direction.

I get there, and they don't have any foam board. Apparently the local high school is having some event, and all the foam board was bought out.

So, I get back in the car... am I going to let this stop me? HECK NO... I'm going to FLY over the holidays !!! PER ASTRA guys !!! Nihil Prohibitio. I say to myself - "I can't let common sense stop me !!! I have WHEELS. Lets drive to the next state". I point the car east and drive 45 miles to West Virginia... and find Dollar Tree Foam board. YAY

So, 9 miles + 29 miles + 45 miles + 45 miles + 20 miles.... 148 miles. My Jeep gets about 18 MPG, so, 8.2 gallons of gas... current price around $28 ... So, the 5 sheets of foam board cost about $1 each, plus $5.60 gas... or $6.60 each.

BUT, I've got the materials, I'm building, I'm going to be flying or crashing this holiday weekend !!!

Originally Posted by Dan_D

Okay, I'm half done with the NEKKID SE. It's a LOT lighter. This time I didn't use three glue sticks to glue the panels together (well, I didn't the first time... but it sure looks like it now), etc. The weight without electronics is 154 grams. The electronics weigh in at 95 grams, so I'm on track for 290 or less (probably a fair amount less).

However, this is not going to be a $1.50 worth of foam. I figure it's gonna cost about $10 in foam...

I remembered that there is a Dollar General in a small town only 9 miles from here... so, I went there first. They didn't have any foam board. So, I had to drive to the other close by one... only 20 miles from my home... in the other direction.

I get there, and they don't have any foam board. Apparently the local high school is having some event, and all the foam board was bought out.

So, I get back in the car... am I going to let this stop me? HECK NO... I'm going to over the holidays !!! PER ASTRA guys !!! Nihil Prohibit. I say to myself - "I can't let common sense stop me !!! I have WHEELS. Lets drive to the next state". I point the car east and drive 45 miles to West Virginia... and find Dollar Tree Foam board. YAY

So, 9 miles + 29 miles + 45 miles + 45 miles + 20 miles.... 148 miles. My Jeep gets about 18 MPG, so, 8.2 gallons of gas... current price around $28 ... So, the 5 sheets of foam board cost about $1 each, plus $5.60 gas... or $6.60 each.

BUT, I've got the materials, I'm building, I'm going to be flying or crashing this holiday weekend !!!

$#!%&! to all the driving ! But that's history now , so nothing but building and flying to look forward to now ! Are you still going to visit your RC flying friend for Thanksgiving , or are you doing the NEKKID maiden yourself ..... wait , that didn't sound right ...

Don't forget the video if you can !

Al

Originally Posted by balsa or carbon

Mine weighs 290 grams without battery , but I made it with just one elevator servo and a Y pushrod going to the elevators - stole that idea from FlyingW ! With a 1300mah 3s battery it's a nice , slow , floaty flyer .

Al

While working on the NEKKID SE, having built the first one without much concern for weight, now I am shaving every gram.

In that mode, I had a thought... I can possibly save a few grams by replacing a solid balsa wood stick motor mount with a composite beam. My guess is that the greatest forces on this beam are going to be a vertical bending moment and torsion. With that in mind, I thought that a foam core faced with balsa would have the properties of a box beam with the added advantage that the foam would somewhat help to resist the dimensional constriction when the box torqued... although I don't hold out a lot of hope for huge strength gains because of that factor...

So, I made up such a box beam, and it seems rigid enough... but then again I haven't clamped it into a test stand and tested to destruction. So, I have no clue if this is a known solution, a Really Bad Idea , or a bloody waste of time.

I suspect I should just make a NEKKID SE base model, and then go on to rev 2, 3, 4, 5 once I can actually fly something.

Suggestions ?

And yes, I'm driving to Dayton... with planes, tools, hopes and fears. And a video cam.

Ad Astra, per SE